Laurel Valley Golf Club

Laurel Valley Golf Club​Dick Wilson (1959)/Paul Erath (R. 1964)/Arnold Palmer & Ed Seay (R. 1988)/Arnold Palmer, Ed Seay & Erik Larsen (R. 2002)/Thad Layton (2011)We were reminded, after the death of Arnold Palmer in 2016, that Laurel Valley was founded by a group that included Palmer, who lived a few miles from the site. In fact, the group tried to persuade Arnie to quit the PGA Tour and become the club's head professional and manager. Palmer reportedly mulled over the prospect for a time before rejecting it. Imagine how different the PGA Tour would have been had Arnie not become the dashing head of Arnie's Army in the early 1960s. Considered by some to be Dick Wilson's consummate design, Laurel Valley was, due to Arnie's influence, selected as the site of the 1965 PGA Championship just a few years after it opened. Palmer was the odds-on favorite to win, but was so burdened with other duties that he played poorly, tying for 33rd place.